NCJ Number
162915
Journal
Juvenile and Family Court Journal Volume: 47 Issue: 2 Dated: (Spring 1996) Pages: 39-47
Date Published
1996
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article discusses six proposals for consideration by juvenile courts for their second century; The topics addressed are public safety, family court, confidentiality, diversion, status offenders, and fathers.
Abstract
Under the proposal for public safety, the court will continue to reject the adult sentencing focus on retribution for past offenses and expand its philosophy of reducing future offenses by examining and meeting the needs of juveniles and by improving the nurture by their families. The proposal for the family court will end the random autonomies of the current family jurisdictional structure and reorganize itself into a consolidated court that has the same judicial team handle all aspects of a family's social litigation. Under the proposal for confidentiality, the court will minimize its protective secrecy and develop accountability to the public, allowing measured media monitoring by access to all hearings and legal records, provided there is no stigmatizing public identification of juveniles or their families. The proposal for diversion will narrow the court's web and reduce its caseloads by diverting out of the system juveniles who can be managed without loss of liberty or diverting to the adult criminal court cases that require more time than the juvenile court is allowed. Regarding status offenders, the proposal has the court rescuing status offenders from the denial of help foisted upon them a few decades ago and will allow a reasonable, mandatory intervention to restore family control and nurture. Finally, the court will bring fathers into the family equation, both by making their visits more meaningful and incorporating them into the nurture of their children and by enforcing support by weekly community service if they do not pay cash. Overall, in its second century, the juvenile court will emphasize its focus on rebuilding families as the most effective way to reduce crime. 36 notes